30/11/2024
We have already told how the gaucho and the criollo horse were formed, now we proceed to tell the history of the ride where both best blend together: the Marcha de Resistencia. The first spark was lighted when, from 1925 to 1928, a Swiss school teacher decided to go in an adventure with two Criollos provided by Don Emilio Solanet: Gato y Mancha. Aymé Tschiffely rode from Buenos Aires to New York, facing desert, extreme heat and cold, mountains (they crossed the Paso del Condor at 5,900m height!), and many other perils, but at the end of three years, when he paraded down 5th Avenue, not only a one-man feat was concluded: endurance of the Criollo horse was proven. The horses were 16 (Gato) and 18 (Mancha) years old, but as Tschiffely says in his book, Criollos are at their prime at this age, whereas horses from other breeds may have already retired. He had covered more than 21,000km along the three Americas (map is shown in pictures). From them on, in search of a competition that would be a test and a breed selection tool, the concept began to develop, mimicking the hard work conditions in the “estancias”. The Criollo breeders’ association from Uruguay came up first, in 1951. Supposedly, the Marcha mimics the long distances in all weather conditions that a working horse must endure in the Pampas. The idea goes back to 3 breeders, Júlio Leon, Eduardo Ibarra and Alberto Gallinal. Since the beginning each horse competing in the Marcha covers 750km (approximately 466 miles) within a time frame of 15 days. It was only in 1953 that the Marcha was ridden in Argentina, under the presidency of Felipe Ballester. In Brazil, the first 750km Marcha was held in Alegrete, in 1991. The Brazilian Federation of Criollo Breeders (ABCCC) organizes all the competitions for Criollo horses in Brazil. In Uruguay and Argentina, local breeders’ associations also organize their own official competitions. Next to the national competitions, the International Federation of Criollo Breeders (FICCC) is hosting international championships (including a Marcha) every 4 years in its member countries: Argentina, Uruguay, Brazil and Paraguay. Until now there were three FICCC Marchas held in Brazil: 1996, 2007 and 2019. Rules differ slightly from country to country, but the distance is always 750km; Uruguay and Argentina have a rest day at the middle of the race, the 8th day. Minimum weight is 95kg, except in Argentina where it is 100kg. From its creation on, the Marcha has been one of the pillars of the Criollo breed selection in South America.
